Books and Screws
by Dashed
Summary: Slowly, without her even noticing it, books began to edge to the side to make room for screws and hammers and such. Winry and Sciezska fall in love. Femslash. Shoujo ai.


I don't own FMA

These characters were just so cute in the anime that I had to write something about them

XxXx

Slowly, without her even noticing it, books began to edge to the side to make room for screws and hammers and such. Ink and oil mingled together and intertwined to stain any surface and half read books were now marked with sheets of metal instead of paper.

Eventually automail books and magazines began to appear and disappear among the stacks until finally Sciezska could reach out in any direction and touch one. She didn't mind as she like new things to read. She loved to learn about new subjects and used to know next to nothing about automail. Until now.

Her books began to creep away from certain spaces they had once claimed. Her bed resurfaced from the literary rubble along with a square work bench that Sciezska was surprised to find. She didn't actually know if she owned it or if Winry had brought it in. Either way the books respectfully outlined rather than encroach the space. Screws and tools resided there and words seemed to have no place. The wind blew a screw to the perimeter of the space and a book ruffled its pages to gently nudge the metal back into its home.

Her clothes eventually started to become clean. Pile after pile of laundry mounted up beside her wardrobe as books occupied the inside. Instead of the musty stale smell of yellowed paper, lavender took its place until finally something like fresh air visited her house regularly. Among the military uniforms and plain shirts and pants, overalls, bandanas and gloves began to inhabit the space providing comfortable cushions for hurriedly tossed books.

Sunlight that once cut through dust mites that strangled the air now softly caressed the clean surface of hardbacks and lather bound volumes. Without her realising it, Winry had merged with her until she had become an everyday part of her life. A part of her home.

Sciezska looked up from her book and noticed the changes for the first time "huh," she went back to her book.

XxXx

She opened the door and instead of bright sunlight spilling into the darkened room it melted in with the brightly lit house. Sciezska smiled as Winry sat Indian style in the middle of a nest of books. In her lap was an automail leg and her was screwing in a bolt intently. "I had some free time today so I alphabetised the bedroom."

Sciezska sat the books she had been carrying down on the floor where they where welcomed by the others. She crossed the room and knelt in front of Winry. She place a hand on each of the blonde girls knees. As Winry looked up she lent forward and kissed her. Winry stopped turning the screw driver her eyes wide.

It was their first kiss.

"Thank you," she said as she pulled away. She walked into the bedroom to change. Winry sat stunned before going back to work on the leg.

XxXx

Sciezska tapped her fingers on the desk in agitation. The fast and furious rhyme didn't annoy the books. Her finger tips impacted on the desk with dull thuds that echoed in the over crowded room. Her hand itched to crawl across the space towards the sparkling pink spine and caresses the glittery volume. She stood and moved away from the temptation.

Winry's dairy.

Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips. Would Winry have spider like hand writing? Would her 'I' be dotted with hearts and her 'f' flowing loops and her 's's' graceful curves? Or would she have a firm jagged writing that stood starkly on the pages? Would it be messy and leaning to the side like it was dashing madly, with her 'I's' un dotted and 't's' uncrossed?

Her breath caught in her throat as she imagined if Winry would write with a ball point or a fountain pen. Maybe, insanely she would use a quill and instead of ink it would be motor oil that adorned the pages.

The horrible thoughts of spelling mistakes and phonetical words were pushed aside. Surely Winry, beautiful, incongruous, Winry wouldn't write in text and slang. Surely she would say 'later' instead of 'l8r.' She then remembered with horror Winry's habit of using colloquialisms. She didn't notice how sometimes she would speak in iambic pentameter. Her voice going up and down in ten beats a sentence. Would that be transferred to her penmanship?

Her hand reached for the dairy. It shook in torment because she wanted desperately to protect Winry's privacy, but it was a book. On her desk. A new book, one she hadn't read. A new, used, book that had been marked and caressed with thoughts of someone she held dear. An _unread _book.

She turned away with a yell. She would not look. It was something important to Winry, she wouldn't defile it.

But she wanted to.

Desperately.

The smooth pink cover lay invitingly on the desk. Its embossed golden letters splayed out wantonly across the cover. It shamelessly begged for her fingers to fondle its dog eared pages. She would be gentle, so gentle. Winry wouldn't even have to know. She could open it up and dip inside, curving her fingers around the back to hold it and caress its spine. She wouldn't leave a mark. Winry would never find out.

"Ahhh!" She cried crumpling onto the floor and slamming her hands against the wood violently. She couldn't do that to Winry. She wouldn't. Winry was too dear.

She crawled away forcefully dragging her protesting body that hummed with excitement at cracking open the spine of the book.

"Sciezska?"

She looked up her conflicted soul plain to see. Winry stood in the doorway a basket filled with lunch. She had one eyebrow raised and a stunned disbelief look on her face. Annoyance crept over the blonde and a vein twitched as she growled "what the hell are you doing crawling on the floor like an idiot!?"

She couldn't tell Winry that she had to stop herself invading the other woman's privacy. Winry would be disgusted at her and leave. She would think she was a bibliophile freak. Which she was, but she was trying her best not to drive Winry away. Her eyes were unwillingly drawn back to the pink sparkling cover of the dairy that seemed to be mocking her.

She still wanted it.

Winry followed her gaze. She saw her dairy and a light went on in her head. Her face quickly formed a grin "I forgot to put it away. It's been sitting there on the desk all this time, in plain view…"

Sciezska looked at Winry with trepidation.

"And you didn't look, did you?"

She shook her head furiously.

"Not even a little peek?" Winry's voice was teasing and light.

She pathetically shook her head again. A whimper escaped her. She wanted to, god she wanted to.

Winry crossed the room and picked up the book with one hand. She lightly tossed it up and down against her palm. Sciezska gasped and followed the bouncing trail avidly like a hungry dog. Winry grinned down at her. "I think such self control deserves a reward don't you?"

She didn't dare to breath or blink.

Winry flicked through the dairy, page after voluptuous page was turned. She traced a finger down the middle of the paper and she felt it clearly as if it was her own skin being caressed. She turned the book its page splayed open obscenely. She held it out for Sciezska to take.

Quickly, afraid Winry might be teasing her, she snatched it from the blondes hand and swivelled herself until she was sitting with her back to Winry the book finally in her lap. She shakily touched the firm joined writing. There was a steady firmness in the ink that formed correctly spelled words. Sentences were punctuated and the words spaced evenly so no squashed or crushed sentiments marred the paper.

It was perfectly Winry.

Strong and sure each letter standing tall and alone. Individual. A pillar of protection and shelter. A mix of unusual attractiveness. A female mechanic of strong masculine metal tampered with the softness of her soul and generosity and endless care. Strong bulky letters but with 's's' that were curved perfectly and the 'd's,' 'b's' and 'a's' all had curly tails and soft edges.

Winry hugged her from behind her from pressed against her back. She didn't say anything but allowed her to immerse herself in the specially picked dairy entry. Strong arms wrapped around her without confining her. Steel encased in velvet.

Winry had used a ballpoint.

XxXx

When she had forget to meet Winry at the station her lips formed a firm line like a lower case 'l.' Her eyes would narrow until they were pointy 'o's' and her jaw would tense creating a pronounced 'u'. Her tense shoulders would create an irritated 'm' until she smacked her on the head for forgetting about her. Again.

When Winry heard about the Elric brothers her lips didn't turn downwards to create a sad 'n.' Instead her teeth came out and completely covered her bottom lip leaving only the stretched on its side 'B' of her top lip. Her eyes squeezed shut tightly until they wrinkled into pained 'w's' at the corners. Her fists clenched shut hard enough to make the lower case 'e' made by her first finger and thumb, shake uncontrollably.

When Winry was reunited with the Elric brothers her eyes formed giant 'o's' of wide eyed happiness and her mouth stretched widely into a capital 'D' that was ruined when she laughed and threw her arms around Edward. It was the first time she had seen her cheeks dimple in two identical comma's of delight.

When she would forget that she had a book in her hand to simple stare at Winry her eyes would slid to the side and her eyelids drop until all she could see of the mechanics eyes formed a perfect on its side capital 'D.' One corner of Winry's mouth would tug upwards in a smirk like an on its side lower case 'j' without the dot. Winry's face would stay like that until she dropped her wrench, screwdriver or hammer and throw her book away and push her onto the floor.

Sciezska was always amazed at the sight of Winry's breasts that were the best looking on their side 'c's' she had ever seen. Sometimes when she was reading and came across alteration of the letter 'c' she would have to stop and think of Winry. Caressing her 'c's' were much better than the paper reminders. She loved to swallow the tittles of Winry's body. She would nibble on the full stops and suck until Winry would curse and threaten her. She loved it when the font changed from dark red to bright pink due to her suckling.

Winry's flat page like stomach was decorated with a small 'o' that she like to tickle on her way to the 'v' of Winry's thighs. She loved to lick and lick at the folds that resembled no letters but would be her favourites if they did. Winry would thrash the long 'l' of her legs until the 'V' closed about her transforming her world into a 'w,' her head acting as the middle spoke.

The best letter of all was the 's's' they made with their mouths as they kissed and the strange double 'y' of their bodies as they lay tangled together after. Those letters made her the happiest she had ever been in her life. She suspected it was because they belonged to Winry.

XxXx

Sciezska for the first time in her life wished she didn't have so much books. She tried valiantly to make space, she even reburied her only recently resurfaced bed, but the small table and three chairs looked as squashed and out of place as when she first put them in the middle of her front room. Three wasn't a number that belonged in this house of two.

The books were revolting against the invading furniture trying to spread out and claim all space. Winry's tools seemed to be in agreement as bolts and screws left the confines of the bench to scatter about the floor and hammers and Alan keys dangled threateningly from skyscrapers of books. She didn't like it anymore than they did but she had to do it.

She wished that she knew where the mirror was so as she could check her appearance again. She settled for running her hands through her hair and straightening her clean blouse for the fifth time. She was neatly pressed and dressed. Winry had made sure of it this morning. She took a deep breath and absently steadied a swaying stack. It was no good to faint now.

"Grandma you remember Sciezska," Winry gestured to her holding her grandmothers suitcase in a white knuckled grip.

"Hello Mrs Rockbe-whoa!" She had walked forward with her hand outstretch and ready to greet the old woman when a traitorous screw had tripped her. A collection of Shakespeare's works seized their chance and dog piled on her.

Winry winced with each collision a horrified look on her face. She was used to her falling and injuring herself with books but to do it in front of the woman she was trying desperately to impress was humiliating for both of them.

Pinako turned to her granddaughter with raised eyebrows. She looked sceptical and only said "I see."

Winry helped her up and they all took their seats at the table. Sciezska fought off her blush and tried to redeem herself by pouring the old woman's tea. They were all relieved when she didn't spill it. Fresh scones and cakes sat beside the pot, hurriedly jammed their in a last minute offering by Sciezska before she had panicky tried to clean up their house.

They hadn't decided to tell the old Rockbell about their relationship because they weren't really sure of it themselves. Even so Sciezska was trying desperately to impress the old woman. She was failing miserably.

"Sciezska can speak two languages granny," Winry tried to sell Sciezska as more impressive than Sciezska thought she was "you were always impressed by learned people."

Pinako nodded sipping her tea "education is important," she allowed, for the first time she seemed to be taking an interest "where did you study?"

Sciezska flushed and her hands gripped each other in her lap "I didn't actually go to a college," she had just read the dictionaries and then phrase books until she eventually could understand.

"So it was self taught," Pinako said seeming to loose interest.

Sciezska cast around her empty head to find something interesting about herself. She came up blank. Why was Winry with her?

"Sciezska's really loyal. She nearly single handily solve who killed Mr Hughs," Winry said and Sciezska looked at her in surprise. No she hadn't. All she had done was help. "She kept searching for the truth even though it was dangerous and no one else would help her."

"Oh," Pinako said "so she's reckless too."

Winry flushed and went silent. Sciezska reached across to pat her hand in appreciation. She hoped the old woman didn't see.

The dinner went just as badly and by the time tomorrow became today Sciezska was ready to burry herself in a puddle of books and never resurface. She really was just an unimpressive bibliophile. She had never minded the description before as she loved books. But looking into Pinako's steady gaze she wished for a second she was more interesting. That she had actually been on the adventures she had read about and was half as impressive as the hero's she read about. But she wasn't. She was plain old Sciezska and she was happy. She just wished that for Winry's sake she was slightly more.

Both Winry and Pinako left in the morning for the automail convention, the whole reason the old woman had bothered to travel here. She was left alone with her books. For the first time she felt lonely. It would be like this if Winry left. If Pinako had managed to open her eyes to how boring Sciezska was. She sighed and hugged a chipped hammer to her chest. She didn't want Winry to leave.

"I thought that Winry had got herself a boyfriend in the big city. I thought that was why she found any excuse to come down here. I guess I was sort of half right."

Sciezska turned to see Pinako in the doorway. The sun didn't dare disturb her with its harsh glare and seemed to shine around her rather than on her. "Where's Winry?" She frowned.

"I left her drooling over some suspension tools," Pinako rolled her eyes "I swear the girl just has no time for the old fashioned way of doing things. It always has to be bigger and shinier with her. You can imagine my surprise then when I come to meet you instead of the metal alchemist or some other robotic buff man."

Sciezska blinked in surprise.

"I'm old not senile," Pinako dead panned. She made her way over to the chair and sat down. A book stack wavered threateningly. She glowered and it stopped. "In truth I couldn't really care what it was that made her so happy the last few months. Its nice to see her smile and the reason that I'll be leaving early is because you smile the same way when you think about her. But mark," Pinako lent down to Sciezska who was sitting on the floor at her feet "you hurt her and I'm going to come back."

Sciezska shivered and shook her head furiously. Pinako smiled grimly. She was very pleased at herself.

XxXx

"How come you're using my clamps?" Winry asked standing over the reclining Sciezska.

"The books energetic," she answered absently still engrossed in the story.

Winry frowned "energetic?"

Sciezska looked up with big wide eyes "yeah. There are all different types of books. This one is energetic because every time you turn a page it always tries to spring back. You also have the fat and lazy type of books whose pages just flop down and stay there. Then you have the tight type of books that you can barely turn over because the binding is to tight," a vague sense of strangeness started to over come her as she continued to talk. Winry had taken a seat cross legged in front of her to listen. She couldn't put her finger on the strangeness "and then there's the fragile type of books that have thin tissue like paper that you have to be very gentle with when you handle them or they'll rip."

Winry nodded.

It hit Sciezska with the force of a hard back. Winry was listening to her. Most people when she talked about books, especially types of books, tended to pay her half a mind or tune her out completely but she had Winry's undivided attention. "You're actually paying attention to me," she said amazed.

"Well, yeah," Winry nodded "I know what you mean. My big betty," her circular saw "she only works if you give her a warm up rub first. There's also Phil," her heavy blue hammer "unless I hold him a certain way I won't get anything done and Tommy" her flat head screwdriver "he doesn't like working Sundays."

Sciezska blinked at the seriousness in Winry's voice. Winry wasn't joking. Winry understood her. She threw her book aside and pounced on her.

"Oumf!" Winry cried as Sciezska drove her to the floor and captured her lips.

Winry was just as weird as she was.

XxXx

Slowly, without her even noticing it, books began to edge to the side to make room for screws and hammers and such. Ink and oil mingled together and intertwined to stain any surface and half read books were now marked with sheets of metal instead of paper.

Not a day went by when some new machine didn't come into the house and perched itself on top of her books. A metal arm cradled her glasses in its hands when she had a shower. A fake foot held open the door on summer days. Funny metal balls and washers adorned her dresser and her pockets filled with varying shapes and sizes of screws.

Her books were book ended by tool cases. Most now had smudges frown sweaty fingers or leaking tools. Some had ribbed covers from being tore away to get to clothes. Some where even desecrated with pen as Winry jotted down material lists and grocery lists.

Slowly and surely her space was being engulfed and she was being made to co inhabit her library.

Sciezska sat up in the bed the sheet draping around her waist. She looked around at the slumped figures of battered books. Some where half open and draped over screwdrivers others lent against electric drills. Everywhere there was a book there was a screw. Every page had a bolt to accompany it and every book mark its own tool. The house looked overwhelmed. She looked at the sleeping figure of Winry her sweaty bandana still on her head. She was snoring softly. Sciezska smiled. She wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
